Engineering Home: Book 11 of The Survivalist Series Read online

  “He’s not saying. I just said we need to get down there. I’m coming in the War Wagon,” the old man replied, and I could hear the diesel engine of the small vehicle through his radio.

  “I’ll be in the road,” I replied as I ran for the door.

  Almost immediately, the old man was there with Dalton, Mike, and Ted. I crammed myself into the backseat and held on as he sped off.

  “What the hell is going on?” I asked.

  Ted shrugged, “Don’t know much. Ronnie said they took contact, and there’s casualties.”

  “Ours or theirs?” I asked as a lump rose in my throat. He just shrugged.

  We didn’t have to wait long to find out. Pulling up, we saw a uniformed figure lying on the ground beside the truck. My heart sank as I thought of who had left in the truck. But I knew immediately when I saw Jamie knelt on the ground with Ian standing behind her.

  “Oh shit, it’s Perez,” I moaned as we walked over.

  “What the hell happened?” Sarge asked as he looked down at Perez’s body.

  Doc ran a blood-stained hand through his hair. “It’s a fucked-up mess.”

  “Spit it out, Doc,” Sarge snapped back.

  Doc looked toward a house on the side of the road. “Someone out there, past that house, took a couple of shots at us. Perez saw movement and just started shooting. I saw the kid—” Doc’s voice broke, “but it was too late. I yelled at Perez to stop shooting. Jamie stopped the truck, and I got out. Then there was another shot. The kid’s father over there shot Perez.”

  Sarge didn’t say anything for a long minute, then looked at Dalton, “You speak Spanish?”

  Dalton nodded, “Enough.”

  Pointing, Sarge said, “Go over there and talk to them. Get their side.”

  Dalton walked towards the stricken parents as I knelt beside Perez. He was covered in blood and was hard to see. The bullet had hit him in his right cheek, under the eye. It was apparent he died instantly. I took his hand and held it for a moment as the weight of what just happened sank in.

  “Well, old friend. Have a smoke for me in Valhalla,” I said quietly as I gently placed his hand on his chest.

  Jamie sat holding his other hand, and I looked up at Ian. His face was grim, and he shook his head. Then, reaching out, I gripped Jamie’s shoulder.

  “I’m so sorry, Jamie. We’re all going to miss him,” I said.

  She wiped her nose with her free hand and replied, “It’s all fucked up. It’s just so fucked up. Perez didn’t need to die.”

  “He thought he was protecting you guys. You’re right. It is all fucked up and shouldn’t have happened.” Squeezing her shoulder, I stood up.

  Ted came up with a body bag, something else we’d picked up at Eglin, and he and Mike started to lay it out. Mike was uncharacteristically quiet as he unzipped the bag and laid it beside Perez. Leaving them to their somber task, I walked over to Sarge and Dalton talking to two people. Dalton talked to them in Spanish as I approached, and I stopped beside Sarge and asked, “Well, what the fuck?”

  Taking his hat off, Sarge wiped his face. “It’s a fucking mess. Someone took a couple of shots at the truck. We still don’t know who did that. But Perez opened up on these folks and killed the boy,” he finished by pointing at the body of a very young boy lying in the lap of his mother.

  “Who the hell shot Perez?”

  “The kid’s dad there did. Not that it means shit now. It’s not his fault; he just saw his son killed. I can’t say I blame him, honestly. It’s just a damn mess.”

  “That’s pretty much what Doc said,” I replied as I looked around.

  “Go get a body bag for the boy,” Sarge said. I nodded and walked back over to the war wagon.

  As I passed Jamie, I glanced at her and felt like shit. My head was swimming, this whole thing was such a cluster fuck, and I was trying to figure out how it all happened. With everything we have to deal with, incidents like this were not on my radar. The thought that we could have something like this happen was just unimaginable.

  Doc helped me load the boy into it when I returned with the bag. But unfortunately, his mother didn’t want to let him go, and her husband had to pull her away so we could complete the unpleasant job.

  “Dalton, ask him if he wants us to help him dig a grave for the boy,” Sarge asked.

  Dalton spoke in Spanish briefly, but even I could tell from the man’s movements what the answer was. “No, he just wants us to go the fuck away.”

  “That’s what I thought,” I replied.

  Sarge spun on his heels and headed towards the truck. He went into the back, pulled out two MRE cases, and carried them back. Then, setting them down by the man’s feet, he looked at Dalton and said, “Tell him we’re very sorry and that all this was an accident.” Dalton sputtered, and the man looked at the cases, then up at Sarge. Again, he stuttered, and Dalton translated.

  “He asked if we think a little food makes up for killing his son.”

  “No, it doesn’t. It was a terrible accident. We’re very sorry, but this is all we can do for now,” Sarge replied.

  Then the man looked at me and started speaking again. I didn’t know what he was saying, but I did understand one word, policia. I looked at Dalton for the translation.

  “He asked if you’re the police. He said you should do something about this. That this is wrong, and someone should be punished.”

  “Someone was,” I replied and pointed back to Perez’s body. “You killed the man that killed your son. Your son’s death was wrong, and one of our men paid for that mistake with his life.” Then, looking at Dalton, I said, “Tell him.”

  Dalton translated what I said, and the man stood for a moment, saying nothing. Then, he looked over at the body bag lying in the road by the truck. Then, after a pause, he shrugged and wiped tears from his face and said, “Lo Siento.”

  “Sorry,” Dalton said.

  “So are we,” I said and reached out and took the man’s hand. “How do you say very sorry?” I asked Dalton.

  “Lo sentimos mucho,” Dalton replied.

  Gently shaking the man’s hand, I said, “Lo sentimos mucho.”

  The man nodded his head and released my hand, and that was it. We were done dealing with his problem. Now we had to deal with ours. Not that two cases of MREs were going to make these people whole, but there was little else we could do right now. So I decided then that I would make an effort to help these people if they would take it. And I wouldn’t blame them if they didn’t. How could I blame them if they told me to fuck off and die? But I would try so that maybe, just maybe, Perez’s death wouldn’t be in vain. Though I wish I didn’t have to. That none of this happened. But you can’t bend reality to your desires. You have to accept it and deal with it as it is, and sometimes it isn’t pleasant.

  Quietly and calmly, we loaded Perez into the truck. We handled him gently and with reverence. It was the least we could do for our friend. Once Perez was in the truck, Jess walked up and held out a rifle. “What do you want me to do with this?”

  Mike took the rifle and opened the action. It was an old Winchester model 70. When he opened the action, a spent case rattled to the ground. He then worked the action, spilling bullets onto the ground. Then, looking up, he said, “Mags full. He only fired the one shot.”

  “It all adds up,” I said. “This is just horrible.” Then, shaking my head, I picked the bullets up from the ground and took the rifle from Mike.

  “What are you going to do with it?” Jess asked.

  Looking at the old rifle, I said, “Give it back to him,” and carried it back over to the man. I handed him the rifle and dropped the bullets into his hand. Then, without saying anything, I turned and walked back to the truck. Jamie, Ian, and Jess were in the war wagon. Lee Ann was standing by the back of the Hummer, and I stopped.

  “You ok, kiddo?” I asked.

  She was looking at the ground where Perez’s blood stained the road a dark crimson as it congealed. “There
’s so much blood.”

  I put my arm around her shoulder and said, “Yeah,” and turned her away from the sight. “Get in with those guys, and we’ll bring the truck back.” Without replying, she nodded and moved towards the buggy.

  Walking around the truck, I looked inside. The rear passenger seat was full of blood as well as the floor. Sarge came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. “Why don’t you ride back with them. No one needs to sit in that.”

  Doing some quick math, I replied, “We don’t have enough seats here.”

  Dalton clapped me on the back from behind, “Come on. We’ll sit in the bed on the back of that thing.”

  Sarge nodded, “That’ll work.”

  Dalton and I walked over to the war wagon as Ian started it up. Jamie was in no mood to drive, and we climbed in the back. Ian looked over his shoulder to make sure we were in and headed back towards home. While it was a short ride, it was a very long trip as our thoughts consumed each of us.

  When we pulled up to Danny’s house, the porch was packed with people. It appeared that everyone knew something was going on. Thad was the first one off the porch when he saw us coming. We pulled the buggy up so Sarge could get the Hummer closer to the house proper. People slowly began filing into the yard with expectant looks on their faces. When Mel saw Lee Ann, she rushed over to her and wrapped her in a hug. Then, uncharacteristically, she returned her mother’s embrace.

  Everyone gathered around the Hummer. Miss Kay held a hand over her mouth as she did a headcount like everyone was doing. Then, we opened the back of the Hummer and lifted Perez out, and laid him on the ground.

  “What happened?” Thad asked.

  Sarge took a minute to collect himself before clearing his throat. “Everyone, listen up. I’m only going to tell this once.” Once the group closed around him, he relayed the story of what happened. There were several gasps and more tears. When he wrapped it up, several people began asking questions. Having heard enough about it before we even returned, I walked away and sat down in a rocker on the porch. Dad soon joined me.

  We sat rocking in silence for some time before Dad spoke up. “That’s a hell of a thing. You were right earlier when you said the killing wasn’t done. I didn’t think it would happen this soon, though.”

  “Me either. I was really hoping we wouldn’t see anything like this.”

  “That’s a hell of an accident. Horrible for everyone.”

  I thought about that for a moment. “It is. I feel for the kid’s parents. Their little boy is dead for no reason. The father killed the man that did it, but that doesn’t bring his son back. And we lost a good man.”

  “I didn’t really get to know him yet, unfortunately,” Dad replied.

  A slight smile cut my face, “He was something else, that’s for sure. He smoked like a damn chimney.”

  “Smoked?” Dad asked. “Where the hell did he get cigarettes?”

  “From Eglin, to start with. Then he loaded up big time after we hit the Russians. Apparently, those guys smoke like damn demons. He had a pack stuffed with them.”

  “Well shit. Russian smokes. Wonder what they’re like.”

  “You thinking of starting again?” I asked.

  Dad laughed, “No, just curious.” He paused and looked over. “So, now what?”

  With my gaze fixed on the body bag lying in the yard, I replied, “Now, we dig another grave. There’s been too many already.”

  “I’ve dug my share since all this shit started. We lost a lot of people back in our neighborhood. You know, there were a lot of old folks there. Most of them died off pretty quick. Some of it was hard to watch because a few suffered so bad.”

  “Believe me, I can relate.”

  Ian walked Jamie into the house as we sat talking on the porch. She wasn’t crying now; she just looked beat. She looked blank almost, and it worried me. I watched them go inside and said, “I’m worried about her.”

  “Were they close?” Dad asked.

  “Real close,” Thad replied. He’d walked up as they went into the house and stood on the porch looking into the door.

  “How are you doing?” I asked him.

  Thad was quiet for a minute before replying. “I’m ok.” He paused for a long moment, then added, “Just sick of this. Especially this sort of thing. There was no reason for this today.” He shook his head. “Senseless, just senseless.”

  I stood up and patted him on the back. “I know, buddy. I know.”

  Still looking into the house, Thad said, “I’ll get the tractor.”

  “I’ll meet you out back,” I replied.

  Dad stood up and added, “I’ll help. I didn’t know him yet, but I’ll help put him to rest.”

  Dad and I walked towards one of the sheds to get shovels. As we passed by the truck, I heard Sarge talking to Ted.

  “…figure out who they are,” Sarge was saying.

  “Figure out who who is?” I asked.

  “The sum bitch that took the shots at them today. It wasn’t that old man, but someone damn sure shot at them.”

  “How the hell are we going to do that?” I asked.

  “Me and Mikey will go to town and poke around a little,” Ted replied.

  “Take some people with you,” I said. “We should make sure we’re moving in force for a bit.”

  Sarge nodded, “I was already thinking that good call.”

  “We’ll grab a couple of Wallner’s people,” Mike said.

  “We have a grave to dig,” I said. “We’ll have the service for him this evening.”

  “We won’t be long. I’ll make sure to be back in time for it,” Ted said.

  Dad and I stood by the pond, waiting for Thad. Danny came out as well, and then Mary. She looked solemn and wasn’t talking. I was sure Jamie was feeling whatever Thad was feeling. The two of them were very close, and I knew that when he suffered, she did as well.

  “You Ok, Mary?” I asked.

  She nodded. “Yes. It’s just sad.”

  I put an arm around her shoulder. “It is. But we have to keep going, ya know? All we can do is all we can do.”

  She wiped her eyes and nodded. “I know. I just hate seeing this.” As she spoke, Thad rode up on the tractor. I still had my arm around her, and he smiled when he saw it. I winked at him, and he tipped his head in acknowledgment. It’s just what family does.

  “Where are we going to put him?” Thad asked.

  Danny looked around at the other graves already there. He pointed to a spot between two cypress trees, and Thad nodded and eased the tractor towards the site and began to scoop out the soft ground.

  Dad snorted, “Damn. Nice to have a tractor.”

  “Yeah, it is,” I replied. “We’ve had to do this a little too much.”

  We didn’t talk much while Thad dug out what he could. Once he’d made the grave as deep as the tractor could manage, Danny and I jumped in and began to shape it with the shovels. Dad and Thad chatted with Mary as we finished the job, which didn’t take long. Once it was ready, we left the shovels and walked back to the house.

  Dad said he was going to his place to check on Mom and parted ways with us as I stepped up on the porch. Sarge was sitting with Miss Kay and Jess, and I asked if they’d seen Mel.

  “She went to the house with the girls,” Sarge replied.

  “She’s coming back over here, and we’re going to walk down and check on Fred. I’ve fixed her some lunch. She needs to eat to feed that baby,” Kay added.

  “How’s she doing?” I asked.

  Kay smiled, “Her belly is growing. That baby is getting big.”

  Mel and Little Bit came from the direction of our house, and Little Bit rushed over and hugged my legs. I tussled her hair, and she giggled. Kids are amazing creatures, the pure innocence they have, and the fact that they are blessed with being ignorant of many things adults have to deal with. She made me smile.

  “You going with mommy to see Fred?” I asked her.

  She clapped he
r hands, “Yes!” Then, smiling devilishly, she added, “I want to feel the baby kick.”

  Mel patted her head and said, “We’ll see, baby. If Fred says, you can.”

  “She’ll let me! She always does!”

  Kay rose to her feet and looked at Sarge, “Linus, we’ll be back in a while.” She picked up a basket, its contents covered by a dishtowel, and looked at Little Bit, “You ready, sweetie?”

  “Can I carry the basket? Please?”

  Kay smiled and handed it to her. “Be careful with it.”

  “I will!” She replied as she bounded down the steps into the yard.

  “You alright?” Mel asked.

  I smiled, “Yeah, I’m fine. But, you guys, be careful.” I looked down to ensure she had her pistol on and was happy to see she did. I gave her a quick kiss and patted her ass as she walked after Kay and Little Bit.

  Sarge stood up and called out to Little Bit, “You keep these two out of trouble now, you hear?”

  She smiled and laughed, “They’re not trouble! And I’m just a kid!”

  Sarge smiled and picked up his coffee cup. “Alright then. You ladies, be careful. I need to refill my cup.”

  “I could use some too,” I said as I followed him into the house.

  Sarge filled his cup, and I slid one in front of him for myself. He poured it about half full, and I reached over and tipped the pot, “Keep going.”

  After topping off my cup, he looked up, “You know how precious this shit is?”

  I laughed, “You drink it like there’s no end in sight.”

  Putting the pot back on the burner, he replied, “Well, there is an end to it.”

  “How much is there?” I asked, now concerned.

  He smiled, “We have plenty, just pulling your leg.”

  Taking a sip, I replied, “Good. Dad just got here, and I want him to be able to enjoy it for a while.”

  Taking a sip from his cup, he replied, “Then you should stop drinking it and save it for your daddy.”

  “What? I hardly ever drink this shit!”

  “Stop yer bellyaching. I told you I was just pulling yer leg.”

  Walking back out to the porch, I sat down in a rocker, more complicated than you think when wearing a plate carrier. Thad and Mary were in the garden. They were getting some winter crops ready. He continued to surprise me every day. Thad had taken sole responsibility for our gardening efforts. Of course, we all chipped in with weeding and taking care of the plants, but it was Thad that oversaw all these efforts. He started all our plants from seeds we’d collected from all over. Unfortunately, some of these were useless. In several cases, there was complete failure to germinate. Thad was always undeterred though, and would simply move forward with different seeds. Because of his efforts, we were kept in a reasonably steady supply of vegetables and some fruits. We even managed to can some of the produce, so prolific was his efforts.